The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a storage medium and, more particularly, to an apparatus and method for executing an information process by combining a speech input and GUI.
Along with the advances in speech-recognition-synthesis techniques, a speech information input apparatus has been put into practical application. Furthermore, an information input apparatus that combines speech and another means is also available. In such apparatus, respective means can compensate for each other""s disadvantages, and can exploit each other""s advantages.
As such apparatus, an interface apparatus that combines a speech input and GUI is known. By inputting information while exploiting the merits of the speech input and GUI, their disadvantages are compensated for.
More specifically, speech is a natural interface means for a human being, and makes it easy to perform input/output operations, but has no browsability. On the other hand, as GUI has browsability as output means, and it allows easy input of, e.g., menu selection as input means for browsably displaying input fields. However, with the GUI it is harder to freely input (this disadvantage is conspicuous in case of ten-key input and handwriting input).
For example, a music search system having an interface shown in FIG. 8 will be described below. This system can search for a song based on one or a plurality of artists"" names, a song name, and a name of CM using that song. The GUI (screen display) is used as output means, and speech is used as input means to respective input fields.
In this case, since a screen display is made, the user can easily understand that he of she can perform a search using any of the artist name, the song name, and the CM name. Since input can be made to the respective input fields by means of speech, it is easy to input.
When speech input and the GUI are used together, and there are a plurality of input fields, as shown in FIG. 8, and an input field corresponding to a given speech input must be discriminated.
As a method for this purpose, speech recognition is made simultaneously using the grammars for all the input fields, and an input field corresponding to the input is determined based on the obtained recognition result.
In the example shown in FIG. 8, speech recognition is made simultaneously using the grammars for the artist name, the song name, and the CM name, and if the recognition result indicates a CM name, an input to the CM name input field can be determined.
Note that the speech recognition rate normally decreases as the grammar becomes larger in scale. Hence, when grammars for a plurality of input fields are simultaneously used, the recognition rate for the speech input decreases.
The present invention has been made in consideration of the aforementioned problems, and has as its object to improve the recognition rate of speech input by preventing an increase in grammar scale used in speech recognition even when a plurality of input fields are available.
In order to achieve the above object, an information processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises the following arrangement. That is, an image processing apparatus comprises:
input means for inputting a document having a plurality of input fields;
discrimination means for discriminating an active input field from the plurality of input fields in accordance with a display state of the document; and
selection means for selecting a specific grammar corresponding to the active input item discriminated by the discrimination means.
In order to achieve the above object, an information processing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention comprises the following arrangement. That is, an information processing apparatus comprises:
input means for inputting a document having a plurality of input fields;
determining means for determining whether or not the document contains a designation for selecting a specific grammar in accordance with a display state of the document; and
control means for controlling selection of a grammar according to a determining result.
In order to achieve the above object, an information processing method according to the present invention comprises:
the input step of inputting a document having a plurality of input fields;
the discrimination step of discriminating an active input field from the plurality of input fields in accordance with a display state of the document; and
the selection step of selecting a specific grammar corresponding to the active discriminated in the discrimination step.
Furthermore, in order to achieve the above object, an information processing method according to the present invention comprises:
the input step of inputting a document having a plurality of input fields;
the determining step of determining whether or not the document contains a designation for selecting a specific grammar in accordance with a display state of the document; and
the control step of controlling selection of a grammar according to a determining result.
Also, according to the present invention, a control program for making a computer execute the information processing method, a computer readable medium that stores the control program, and a computer program product are provided.